Although I’ve been a textile artist my whole career, I am also a storyteller. Inspired by the Persian poets of my ancestry, my own work is often in conversation with literary characters, who were sometimes depicted on garments. Exploring and reinterpreting the application of Persian motifs and themes, I work with garments as a metaphor of the human condition. The handmade textiles are patterned with historical iconography and Sufi poetry using manual and digital techniques, juxtaposing ancient and modern processes. Garments are photographed or videoed to create a personal narrative, and often displayed within panels creating an enclosed space, representing the mind of the wearer.

I invite viewers into the space, so they can contribute to the work by sharing their own story. Relating to the theme presented in each work, viewers add flowers to paper gardens, write letters to fourteenth century poets, or color textile motifs to add to a collective work accompanying my own. Themes range from love and marriage, to pathfinding and mystic contemplation. Although the references in the work are specific and historically grounded, I strive for the messages to be universal and accessible to viewers.

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